A Novel Biosorbent for Preconcentrations of Co(II) and Hg(II) in Real Samples.

A new biosorbent, composed of Amberlite XAD-4 loaded with Anoxybacillus kestanboliensis, was developed and surface morphologies were investigated by SEM and FT-IR. It was used for solid phase column preconcentrations of Co(II) and Hg(II) before their measurements by ICP-OES. LODs were calculated as 0.04 and 0.06 ng mL-1 for Co(II) and Hg(II) respectively. The maximum biosorption capacities were determined as 24.3 and 27.8 mg g-1 for Co(II) and Hg(II) respectively. Preconcentration factors were achieved for Co(II) and Hg(II) as 80. The method validation was performed by analyzing certified reference materials. The new process was successfully utilized for the preconcentration of these metals in various food samples. It should be highlighted that the sensitivity of ICP-OES was critically improved by applying developed method. Hence, ICP-OES could be an effective alternative for ICP-MS and/or GF-AAS.

Biogenic silver nanoparticles synthesized from Rhododendron ponticum and their antibacterial, antibiofilm and cytotoxic activities.

Nanotechnology is being used effectively in many areas contemporarily. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most crucial and remarkable nanomaterials involved in medical applications. These nanoparticles (NPs) have an important place in nanomedicine, nanotechnology, and in particularly, nanoscience. AgNPs are one of the most widely used materials in antibacterial and antiseptic practices. The synthesis of biogenic AgNPs has been applied as an alternative to physical and chemical synthesis. For this purpose, water extracts of Rhododendron ponticum were used for biosynthesis of AgNPs. Also, AgNPs were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer, scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The antimicrobial activity of AgNPs synthesized with Rhododendron ponticum was analyzed by the Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) test. Also, the biofilm inhibition test was made, and AgNPs showed a strong effect for biofilm inhibition. In addition, the prepared nanoparticles were tried for cytotoxicity activity with the help of MTT assay in MCF-7 and 4T1 cancer cell lines.

The Presence of Fragmented QRS on 12-Lead Electrocardiography in Patients with Coronary Artery Ectasia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is an angiographic finding characterized by dilation of an arterial segment with a diameter at least 1.5 times that of its adjacent normal coronary artery. Fragmented QRS (fQRS) complexes are electrocardiographic signals which reflect altered ventricular conduction around regions of a myocardial scar and/or ischaemia. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the presence of fQRS in patients with CAE. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study population included 100 patients with isolated CAE without coronary artery disease (CAD) and 80 angiographically normal controls. fQRS was defined as the presence of an additional R wave or notching of R or S wave or the presence of fragmentation in two contiguous leads corresponding to a major coronary artery territory. RESULTS: The two groups were similar in terms of age, sex, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and family history of CAD. The presence of fQRS was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the CAE group than that in the normal coronary artery group (29% vs. 6.2%, p=0.008). Isolated CAE were detected most commonly in the right coronary artery (61%), followed by left anterior descending artery (52%), left circumflex artery (36%), and left main artery (9%). Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that CAE {odds ratio (OR) 1.412; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.085-1.541; p=0.003} and diabetes (OR 1.310; 95% CI 1.025-1.482; p=0.041) were independently associated with fQRS. CONCLUSION: The presence of fragmented QRS associated with increased risk for arrhythmias and cardiovascular mortality was significantly higher in patients with CAE than in patient with normal coronary artery. Further studies are needed to determine whether the presence of fragmented QRS is a possible new risk factor for patients with CAE.